Handcrafted in Oakland, California
Functional art for modern living.
Hexagonal cabins, built by hand — simplicity, comfort, and nature combined.
Hexagonal cabins, built by hand — simplicity, comfort, and nature combined.
Every Hive is a 96-square-foot hexagonal cabin, built start-to-finish in our West Oakland workshop and delivered to your site complete: furnished, insulated, wired, heated, and cooled. No foundation. No permits in most cases. No months of contractors in your backyard.
Use it as a guest room, a home office, an in-law suite, an off-grid cabin — or put it to work as a Hipcamp or Airbnb rental that pays for itself.
“The Hives themselves were such an incredible, minimalist space.”Zoë B. — Hipcamp guest, Point San Pablo Harbor
Each cabin begins as a CNC-cut hexagonal frame that snaps together with joinery-level precision, then gets weeks of handwork: tongue-and-groove pine interiors, hemp insulation, low-VOC Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey floors, optional black pine-tar exterior in the Scandinavian tradition, copper details, and a cedar deck.
Hives have survived Vermont winters and Bay Area summers alike. We build every unit ourselves — the founder is in the shop, on the tools, for every cabin that leaves it.
A 96-square-foot room is a small volume of air, and you'll be sleeping in it. So we're picky about what goes inside the walls — not just what you can see. Cyrus has sourced nearly every material in a Hive for low toxicity and low impact, often at real cost and effort.
Walls and roof are insulated with hemp fiber batts — a renewable crop, carbon-storing, itch-free, and naturally moisture-regulating. No fiberglass, no formaldehyde binders.
Floors and interiors are sealed with Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey, a whey-based, low-VOC finish. Exteriors get pine tar or natural oil — Scandinavian methods that predate petrochemicals.
Tongue-and-groove pine inside, cedar decking, copper details. Real materials that age well, off-gas nothing, and can be repaired instead of replaced.
No foundation to pour, no demolition when you leave. A Hive goes with you — the most sustainable building is the one you never have to tear down.
CNC-cut frames mean precise cuts and less scrap, and we keep the supply chain short and local where we can.
Runs on a standard outlet or a solar generator, with a high-efficiency heater and a 5,000 BTU AC sized for the space — not oversized for the spec sheet.
Cyrus Pond is Hive's founder and lead builder, and he's the one who answers. Ask about your site, your timeline, or whether a Hive is even the right call for you. No sales pitch — just the guy with the tools.
96 sq ft hexagonal plan · sleeps 2 · queen bed platform
5,000 BTU air conditioner · 1,500W high-efficiency heater · 3.5" hemp fiber insulation
Standard 110V or 30-amp RV plug — off-grid / solar-generator ready
Queen mattress, desk & stool, fold-down bench, LED lighting
Under-bed RV cassette toilet — no plumbing needed
Pine interior, low-VOC PolyWhey finish, hemp insulation, pine-tar or oiled exterior, copper details, cedar deck
No foundation — ground-rated skids sit on any flat surface (compacted gravel or pavers recommended). Easy to relocate later
Arrives finished by trailer — to your driveway and, where access allows, right onto its spot. Plugged in and ready the same day
Exterior 12'0" L × 8'2" W × 7'3" H · interior ceiling 6'3", 87" at the widest
A refundable $100 deposit holds your build slot. 50% is due when we sign the contract; the balance one week before delivery. Delivery within 150 miles of Oakland is included; beyond that, quoted per mile.
Reserve your build slotA refundable $100 deposit, paid by card in about a minute, holds your place in line.
Send a few photos and a description of your site. We confirm access and your timeline, agree on where it will sit and how to prep the spot, and sign the contract — usually within a week. 50% is due at signing.
Your Hive is built start-to-finish in our Oakland shop. Delivery windows are usually available within weeks to a few months, depending on inventory and the queue — ask us where things stand.
The balance is due one week before delivery. Your cabin arrives finished — to your driveway and, where access allows, right onto its spot — and is plugged in before dinner.
Two Hive cabins are open for booking at Point San Pablo Harbor — a hidden marina and working farm in the Bay Area. Wake up to water views, coffee on the deck, goats on the hill. From $145/night.
“The bed is very comfortable and the sheets and comforter made it so I didn't want to get up.” — KATY D.Book a night on Hipcamp
Hive Design is founder Cyrus Pond and a small Oakland crew building structures people feel something for. The goal isn't to be the biggest builder of backyard cabins — it's to be the one people think of when they want a structure as beautiful as it is functional. Proof that everyday buildings can be works of art.
In most California jurisdictions, structures under 120 sq ft without plumbing don't require a building permit — the Hive is designed to that threshold. Rules vary by city and use.
A flat spot roughly 13' × 9' and standard outdoor power within reach. We recommend compacted gravel or pavers under the skids, but the skids are ground-rated, so it can sit on any flat surface if you prefer. Between your deposit and the contract we review your photos, confirm access and placement, and visit the site if there's a need.
Your cabin arrives finished on a trailer. Delivery to your driveway within 150 miles of Oakland is included in the price, and where access allows we set it right on its spot with our own equipment. If your site calls for a crane or other specialty help to reach, we'll help arrange it (billed separately). Either way it's plugged in and ready the same day.
Cabins are built in five-week cycles from our Oakland shop, and delivery windows are usually available within weeks to a few months, depending on current inventory and the reservation queue. Ask us where things stand — the calendar is small on purpose, so reserving early helps.
Solid pine and cedar, hemp fiber insulation, and low-VOC, whey-based finishes. No fiberglass, no formaldehyde-bonded panels, no vinyl. It smells like a woodshop, not a new car.
Finish options (pine-tar black or natural oiled exterior), hardware, and interior layout tweaks — yes. The hexagon itself stays sacred.
A refundable $100 deposit holds your place in line. It takes about a minute by card, and there's nothing else to fill out — within a few days we'll be in touch to confirm delivery logistics and your timeline and to sign the contract.
Not sure yet? Text Cyrus at (802) 595-9990 or use the form below.
Tell us a little about your site and what you have in mind. Cyrus reads every message himself and usually replies within a day or two.
Prefer to talk?
(802) 595-9990
cyrus@hivedesign.us
Your message is on its way to Cyrus. Expect a reply within a day or two. If it's time-sensitive, text (802) 595-9990.